


Circumstances That Aren't The Best

by pushupindrag



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, M/M, Slurs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 20:19:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9200762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pushupindrag/pseuds/pushupindrag
Summary: Dex leaves home after he hears his parents negativively talking about him and being homophobes. Nursey comes to his rescue.He needs to get out. It’s too hot, and the room’s spinning, voices ringing out above everything. Shouts and harmless bickering, and laughter above all. They were his family, but he needed to get out.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Use of homophobic language and slurs are used within the first few paragraphs, as this deals with Dex having to leave home due to his homophobic parents (specific words and usage are in the end notes). So if that triggers you please don't read.
> 
> When i'm feeling down I write angst, so here have some angst involving Dex because I project like no-ones business.
> 
> Come chat with me about Check Please! On my tumblr [here!](http://postpvnk.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Un'beted so if you find any mistakes please let me know :)

He needs to get out. It’s too hot, and the room’s spinning, voices ringing out above everything. Shouts and harmless bickering, and laughter above all. They were his family, but he needed to get out.

It had started with a casual comment, something said by his youngest brother Charlie. He must have picked it up from school, something about Dex ‘being a faggot’ for not letting him have an extra cookie.

Of course his mom had whipped around from where she washing the dishes.

“We don’t say that word Charlie. It’s a bad word.” She had hissed, but the look of guilt on her face had made Dex think that it wasn’t school where Dex had picked it up.

They knew he was bisexual, but he could tell that they preferred it when he had brought girls home, been kind to them and welcoming, and overly polite to any boys he had brought back, or the ones who had dropped him off home.

He had ignored it, shrugging his shoulders as Charlie had pouted and ran off, shouting for their older sister.

Then of course it was the looks he had gotten from his dad whenever he thought Dex wasn’t looking, or his sisters reluctance to let him hold or play with Charlie properly. Always ushering him away whenever Dex got close.

It was the conversation he had heard that had sent his head spinning. It was late, and he was meant to be in bed, or something. But he had wanted to go and get a drink, having to stop on the stairs at the conversation.

“I don’t know love, you know we have to try and be supportive. He’s our son.” It was his mom, voice soft and anxious sounding.

“He’s a queer, you heard him. He’s dating that Nursey guy. I don’t like it! I don’t like having a fag in the house!”

“You don’t have to like it, he’s our son and we have to support him.”

He doesn’t hear anything after that, just the rushing in his ears as he goes back to his room.

It made sense. The side looks that he’d been getting for years. The easy acceptance of him going off to college. How they made him wash his hands or get a shower every time he came back home after being out with a guy, disguised with easy excuses of ‘the trucks dirty honey’ or ‘you’ve been out all day sweetheart you stink you need a wash!’. How his mothers friends would never speak to him outright whenever he tried to make polite conversation, or ignored his waves whenever he saw them outside of the house.

How his father never spoke to him after he told them, how any conversation or bond they had had broken instantly that day. And he was just too stupid and naive to realise it.

Everything feels wobbly, air coming too thick and not fast enough as he tries to breath. He didn’t understand. He couldn’t. He thought they loved him. He didn’t expect this from him and fuck it hurt.

It hurt. It felt like he’d been buried under rocks, had something heavy sitting on his chest, waiting to pounce at him.  
  
So he does what he has to.

There’s not much stuff in his room that he wants to take. Most of it’s in his dorm up at Samwell. But he packs what he can.

All of his clothes go in one duffel bag bag, followed by any pictures he wants from his walls. Pictures from previous family gatherings, that time they all went to the beach and he had been buried in the sand. Camping trips when he was in high school with his friends. All memories he wasn’t sure how to deal with right now, but wanted to keep.

It’s hard working with the pain in his chest but he carries on, finding a suitcase under his bed and sticking his portable vinyl player in there along with his small collection of vinyls and CDs. They were his pride and joy. His acoustic is thankfully up at the dorms, so he doesn’t have to worry about that. And he puts his laptop and old DS and games into his laptop case complete with chargers.

His pillows are squashed over the vinyl player, and he had to lean on the suitcase to get it shut but he manages it, working in silence. His comforter gets pulled through the handles of his duffel bag with the clothes in, and his back cracks as he stands. Looking over his room one more time.

There’s nick-nacks everywhere, things he doesn’t want and doesn’t need. He manages a last sweep under the bed for anything before he grabs his stuff, truck keys and phone in pocket.

There’s no noise from downstairs when he stomps down them, not saying a word as he manages to stumble out of the house. The bags are heavy, but he can barely feel the burn in his arms as he makes his way to the truck.

It’s a shock when his mom comes out, teary eyed as he opens the truck and hauls his stuff into the front seat.

“The trucks mine, you gave it to me for my 18th.”

“No, William come back in. Your father didn’t mean it-”

“He meant it.” It’s then that he hears the tears in his voice, and the thing on his chest comes back with a vengeance.

There’s a moment when he looks her over, his mom, all fiery hair and pale eyed with tears. All he does in lean in for a hug, one that she clings to and he can feel in his bones.

She lets him pull away tough, crying harder than ever. It’s a miracle he manages to get into the truck, and drive off.

It’s freezing, so he focuses on getting warm as he drives, turning the heating on. He know’s where he’s going, and it’s as far away from the house as possible first.

He pulls over twenty minutes later just before he reaches the highway, cab of the truck now sufficiently warm.

Briefly, he focuses on his things, resettling them properly next to him and getting out the car charger for his phone. He can feel himself trying to ignore what had happened, his nature wanting to repress what had happened.

Dialling the phone is one of the hardest things to do with shaking hands, but the voice on the end of the phone makes it worth it.

“Hey Dexy, what’s up babe I thought you were ringing later?”

It all comes out. Hearing a familiar voice, one that he knew loved him, was all it took to get the tears to finally free themselves, the weight easing from his chest as the knot loosened.

“I left. I’ve left, i’m in my truck I-” Sobs wracked through his body, and he manages to blurrily put is phone on speaker, throwing it onto the dashboard as he hunches over, arms around his middle, clutching at his sides as the tears fall down his face in waves.

“He was horrible. Called me a, a fag and a queer. And my brother called me one too and my mom just let me go-” The pain gets too much, he thought it had been easing but it comes back, stronger than ever in his chest. He feels sick, urgently the bile builds at the back of his throat, and he manages to open his door just in time too vomit out onto the floor.

“DEX! WILL! HONEY ARE YOU THERE!” Nursey is shouting through the phone, and Dex tries not to cry even harder. Being physically sick always made him anxious.

“Yeah, i’m here.” The sobs start up again as he searches under the seats and in the glove compartments for a bottle of water or a mint. He finds an old bottle of water and a pack of chewing gum.

The doors still open so he swills his mouth out, spitting it over the side again before he pops a couple of piece of the gum into his mouth.

It’s hard to chew and cry but the taste made everything worse so he puts up with it, listening to Nursey on the other end of the phone.

“Dex, where are you sweetheart? Do you want me to drive up? I can be there in seven hours if I hurry.”

“No I.” He blows his nose on the sleeve of his shirt, rolling it up. “Could you get the bus or train to Boston? I’m in my truck I could meet you there.”

“I’m going right now okay, I can be there in four and half hours if the trains aren’t being dickheads.”

“I can get there in about that too. I’ll meet you at the station okay, the main one?”

“I’m looking now and i’ve got two trains and a bus, all the last of the day aren’t you lucky, so i’ll meet you at the bus station okay? You know where i’m talking about?”

Dex thinks, and it’s hard when his head is so foggy but he knows the terminal, having passed through often enough.

“Yeah I know it, ring me when you get on each train and stuff okay?”

“You ring me as much as you want too babe. As much as you need, but only on speaker phone okay?”

“Okay.” Dex pauses, wiping at his eyes, it’s a welcome feeling to have Nursey’s voice fill his truck, and it makes him feel a little better knowing that he’d be seeing his boyfriend soon. “I love you.”

“I love you too darlin’ now go and start driving, i’m off to catch my train.”

“See you later Nurse.”

Instead of continuing to cry, like he wants to. Dex straightens himself out, wiping at his eyes.

“You can do this Will.” He grabs his phone, choking a little as he locks the screen, lingering a little to look at his home screen pictures, a picture of him and Nursey making stupid faces at the camera and it forces him to smile for a split second before he’s shutting his car door with a slam.  
  
He drives for what feels like ever, pulling over whenever he can when Nursey rings, or to ring back on any calls he had missed from Nursey.

Each time Nursey’s voice is soft and crooning, lulling him back into security. Somebody loved him, and he was seeing that somebody soon. That’s the thing he holds on to as he drives, and tries to think of nothing else but that.

“Hey darl, i’m on the bus now okay, only a while now til I get to see you.” Dex had had to pull over at that, leaning heavily against the steering wheel.

His mind had gone from flurry of emotion to numbness. Managing to focus on driving and not much else. Hearing Nursey’s voice with the promise the promise of seeing him soon managed to break through that.

The station is cold as he waits when he eventually gets there, sitting on one of the benches. But it’s a good type of cold, one that makes it focus on how numb his feet are and how his ears are probably bright red rather than the thoughts swirling in his head.

He’s there for half an hour before Nursey’s bus pulls in, and he breaks down again once he see’s Nursey get off the bus.

Barely registering the people around them, he falls into Nursey’s arms, waves of sobs coming anew as he lets Nursey hold him.

After the last five hours of uncertainty and horror, he finally feels some semblance of safety as Nursey holds him tight, rubbing circles into his lower back and pressing reassuring kisses to the top of his head.

“It’s okay Will. I’ve got you baby i’ve got you.”

They ignore the mutters around them, and Dex can’t make himself stop crying, loud ugly sobs onto Nursey’s shoulder. But Nursey doesn’t move them, he just cradles Dex, arms firmly in place/

They find an open late night cafe after that, once Dex has stopped crying and Nursey has kissed him properly. They sit in a corner, Dex huddled under Nursey’s arm.

Nursey had insisted on driving them around, helping Dex move everything so that Dex could sit comfortably in the passenger seat.

There was no-one else but the lady behind the counter in the cafe, and she was sitting on a stool on her phone, not paying attention to anything so it was like they were alone. She didn’t seem to mind how close they were, practically sharing a seat as Dex nestled into Nurseys chest.

His coffee was forgotten, but Nursey kept feeding him bites of the toast they were sharing while taking sips of his own drink periodically.

“You want to tell me what happened?” Nursey’s whispering, running his fingers up and down Dex’s arm as he holds him. “You didn’t get a proper chance on the phone.”

Dex breaths in, breath catching in his throat on the exhale, but he can trust Nursey with this. They’ve been dating for over half a year now he can do it. Nursey was safe. He knew Nursey was safe.

“They were uh, talking. I was supposed to be in my room. My dad called me a fag and a queer and my brother did at one point as well during the week. My dad did it in the conversation I wasn’t meant to hear. So I packed my stuff up and drove here. Called you first, was sick, cried a bit.” Dex stops when Nursey kisses his forehead.

“I’m sorry love.”

“It’s not your fault.” Dex doesn’t move, just pushes his head further into Nursey’s chest as Nursey kisses his hair.

“No, but it’s an awful thing to happen. You want me to go and beat your dad up? Cause I can do that and I will.” It’s the most seriously angry Dex has ever heard Nursey, and that just solidifies the fact that what he was doing was the right choice.

“No, I don’t want anyone dead.”

“I’m glad you have faith in my abilities babe.”

“Always.” Dex turns his head, kissing Nursey’s chest before settling again.

“It was more than that, I think. Like in the back of my mind I knew that he didn’t approve. And my sister wouldn’t let me get to close to Charlie or her and my mom was the only one willing to hug me? Even if she did make me shower first ‘after the drive’.”

“That’s fucked up man.” Nursey kisses his head again and Dex can only nod.

It was fucked up, and he’s mad at himself that it took so long for him to realise.

“I didn’t want to be right you know, didn’t want to think about the reason that my dad seems so disinterested, never came to any of my games.” He laughs but it’s bitter, and he can feel how it’s a reaction to the tears welling up in his throat again.

“Fuck i’m stupid.” He sits up, breathing out of Nursey’s grip to lean his elbows on the table, putting his head in his hands.

He breaths out, counting to ten, before breathing in and counting to ten too. He does this a few times, feeling how Nursey traces the bumps of his spine with his finger tips, drawing shapes into the muscle of his back.

“You aren’t stupid.” Nursey shifts so his knees are pressed against the side of Dex’s legs, running his palm over the expanse of his back. “You just didn’t want to believe your parents were dick heads. You’re beautiful and kind and caring Will, and i’m sorry they can’t accept you.”

Dex doesn’t move, he just lets Nursey talk.

“You’re wonderful. And brilliant. You’re kinda grouchy but you’d do anything for anyone you love. I adore you Will. You aren’t gross, you don’t need to shower every time you touch another man. Nothing about you deserves the abuse they gave you. Your family don’t deserve you baby, i’m sorry.”

There’s a beat, and then Dex looks over, taking in how soft and loving Nursey looks.

“Could you drive us back to yours?”

“Anything for you baby.”

Nursey makes Dex eat the rest of the slice of toast before they go, downing his coffee before slinging an arm around Dex’s waist, holding him all the way to the truck.

All of Dex’s things have been shifted to the small back seat, so he’s able to stretch his legs across the two seat in the front, leaning against the door while Nursey gets in the drivers side.

“You alright?” Is the only question Nursey asks him, before they’re driving.

It’s quiet enough that Dex can sleep, leaning at an awkward angle against the seat’s headrest. So he misses most of the beginning of the journey.

They stop once at a grotty service station to pee and get a cup of coffee which both of them nurse in silence once they’re on the road again. Nursey had not let go of his hand while they were in there unless it was necessary, like when they were peeing or he was paying. His grip was tight, and all he did was smile over at Dex when Dex attempted to speak, words getting stuck in his throat.

Dex only gets half way through his coffee on the way to Nursey’s before he’s falling asleep again, emotionally exhausted, putting the coffee on the floor as Nursey hums something soft and quiet under his breath. The humming turns to singing once Nursey notices how quickly Dex is nodding back off, and Dex falls asleep to the cadence of Nursey’s voice, and the rumble of the engine.  
  
Dex wakes up to a hand on his knee and a warm voice in his ear.  
  
“Will, baby wake up we’re at mine. My mom’s are in bed and so is my sister but they know you’re gonna be here we just have to be quiet okay.”

Dex nods, groggy before he’s sitting up, stretching as best he can and rubbing at his eyes before getting out.

They take Dex’s stuff up to the apartment together, and Dex ignores the puzzled look the doorman gives them. Nursey had only smiled and nodded at the man.

Dex leans against Nursey in the lift up, resting his head on Nursey’s shoulder. Nursey just rests his cheek against Dex’s head.

One of Nursey’s moms is at the door, waiting with her arms crossed and in her house coat. She doesn’t look angry though, just smiles a little at Dex and gives him a brief hug before going back to bed.

He doesn’t sort anything out, just undressses to his underwear after dropping his stuff, flopping onto Nursey’s large double bed to snuggle under the covers, burying his head under one of the many pillows.

Nursey only touches him once he’s also undressed himself, door locked behind them.

Dex feels him climb under the covers, and winces at how cold Nursey’s hands are before they start warming up as Nursey worms them around Dex, shuffling them both so they’re lying facing one another. Dex pokes his head out from under the pillow, settling on the pillow when Nursey kisses his forehead.

Dex pulls his hand up, the one he hasn’t shoved back under the pillow to kiss Nursey’s face. He can’t describe how grateful he is for Nursey. How safe he feels when he’s with him, how supported and loved he is and how thankful that makes him.

Instead, he just kisses Nursey softly, over and over again. First his lips, then his cheeks and the corner of his eyes, the tip of his nose and the bridge, his forehead and his chin and the dimples again on his cheeks. He kisses his jaw, reaching up to kiss Nursey’s temple and the top of his head before moving back to Nursey’s mouth, kissing the corner and his bottom lip before kissing him properly, deepening it with his tongue and a want to show how thankful he was without words.

“I love you so much Derek, I don’t have the words.” His breath is hitching again, and he rests his forehead against Nursey’s,their breathing in sync. “I love you so much it hurts, thank you. Thank you for loving me.”

“No thanks needed baby, i’m glad you’re here with me, even if the circumstances aren’t the best.”

“I’m glad too.” Dex is surprised to find out that he means it. He feels so safe here, in is boyfriend’s arms and his undeniably loved. Maybe that’s all he needs.

**Author's Note:**

> Reference to Dex's brother Charlie calling Dex a faggot / Dex's dad calling Dex a queer and a fag when talking to Dex's mom.


End file.
